It seems like such a long time ago, but a few years back the Washington Capitals would almost always have a Russian on the ice. Not Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Viktor Kozlov, or Sergei Fedorov. It was Semyon Varlamov. At least, when he wasn’t struggling with groin injuries.

Varlamov, who at times looked more like an Olympic gymnast than a traditional NHL goaltender, had the talent to become the franchise’s long-term solution in net. After replacing Jose Theodore and dominating in the 2008-09 playoffs, Varlamov failed to lock down the starting position the next season. Because of injuries.

Varly’s injuries were made worse after rehab starts in Hershey. The next season, Varly battled with Michal Neuvirth for the number-one spot and again would was plagued by the same issues, again making another rehab trip to the Capitals’ AHL affiliate.

The Caps eventually dealt Varlamov to the Colorado Avalanche for draft picks during the summer of 2011, allowing the Avs to take all of the risk with Varly after his cheap entry-level contract expired. Since then, the Samara, Russia native has found his groove. After averaging 30.7 NHL-AHL appearances from 2008-11 with Washington and Hershey, Varlamov played in 53 games with Coloardo in 2011-12 and 51 in 2012-13 combined with Colorado and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. So what changed?

“[Varlamov is] a very explosive guy,” Saunders explained to ABC27’s Gregg Mace. “The way he changes directions, as explosively and as fast as he does, we need to make sure those muscles are strong. And not only those muscles, but the muscles around it. That’s really where he’s had the problem.”

Saunders’ training regiment for Varly gave the young Russian the strength and confidence he needed to improve his game. Varly communicated his positive experience with the Head Coach of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Tom Rowe, while he played with his former Russian team during the lockout.

Rowe, formerly an assistant coach with the Carolina Hurricanes, moved to Russia to lead Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in its first full season after its tragic airplane crash. When asked after the season by the team’s president, Yuri Yakovlev, how to make the team better, Rowe suggested that the team train with Saunders. Yakovlev agreed and opened up his checkbook, flying the entire Lokomotiv team out to Pennsylvania to train with Varlamov’s trainer for five weeks. Their time there was documented brilliantly by ESPN.

Varlamov’s success with Saunders has led to even more hockey players going there to train. With training camp wiped out due to the lockout last season, Garrett Mitchell, the Hershey Bears most improved player for the 2011-12 season, sweated out his fall months at Power Train Sports Institute’s Palmyra facility. He also trained there during the season to supplement his in-season team conditioning program with the Bears.

“It’s just a different way of training,” Mitchell told The Patriot-News’ Tim Leone. “Everything is really slow. It really breaks your muscles down and then gives them time to build back up.”

Mitchell continued, “Going in there the first time, it’s completely different than anything I’ve ever done in the sense that everything they do is specific to each individual. I think it has a huge effect on your body, being able to stay in shape and prevent injuries.”

Now it’s August. The summer is over, and for most NHL players the time is now to ramp up their training sessions for the next season. The loyal Varlamov is right back where he was during the summer of 2011, with Saunders in Lancaster. But this time he brought along two of his former comrades for the ride: Caps prospects Dmitry Orlov and Stan Galiev.

Last year, Orlov was supposed to spend the entire season in Washington, improving upon his break-out rookie season the year before. Instead, Orlov struggled with two concussions in Hershey, never regaining his previous form. Galiev, who was ranked the #29 prospect in the NHL by Hockey Prospectus, struggled in his first professional season in the Capitals’ organization, spending most of the time with the ECHL’s Reading Royals.

Orlov and Galiev now have their own specialized regiments with Saunders, and they, just like Lokomotiv Yaroslavl a few months before them, have been running the same Millersville University steps.

With Orlov and Galiev looking to re-find their way, spending August in Amish Country with nothing else to do but train might be exactly what they need to take the next step in their careers. Varlamov may not have become the starting goaltender in Washington like he planned, but because of him, the Caps are a bit closer to always having a Russian on the ice.

Photos and Video

Saunders has been documenting the Russian trio’s work-outs this summer on the company’s Instagram page.

On July 1st — the first day of Free Agency — the Capitals dealt 23-year-old Semyon Varlamov to the Colorado Avalanche for a first-round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft and a second-round selection in either 2012 or 2013. After weeks of speculation that pointed to Varly not returning to Washington and even potentially landing in the KHL, the Avalanche submitted an offer that General Manager George McPhee couldn’t refuse.

“We were hoping to have Semyon back this year and play a full season so we could get that kind of value for him next summer because we knew next summer we were going to have to do something with one of the goaltenders,” McPhee told The Washington Post the day of the deal. “But we got that value now, and given the injury, I’m surprised we got that now.”

Varlamov immediately signed a three-year, $8.5 million contract with the Avs, who will give the young Russian every opportunity possible to be their starter. “Of course, every goalie wants to be No. 1,” Varlamov said when he was introduced to the Colorado media. “Injuries, everything is behind me. I see my future in Colorado right now.”

Meanwhile, the former Cap has good reason to be confident going into next season. Forty or so miles north of the Mason-Dixon line, Varly has been working with nationally-renown physical trainer Steve Saunders in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Saunders’ Power Train Sports Institute has worked with some of the most well-known athletes in this area including the NFL’s Hines Ward, Todd Heap, and James Harrison. He has also trained former Hershey Bear Grant McNeil and Philadelphia Phillies’ ageless-wonder Raul Ibanez.

Varly has been plagued by a variety of injuries during his NHL career, suffering multiple groin pulls over the past two seasons. Saunders has been working with him on strengthening certain muscles around his groin to avoid the injuries recurring in the future.

“[Varlamov is] a very explosive guy,” Saunders explained to ABC27’s Gregg Mace in an exclusive interview. “The way he changes directions, as explosively and as fast as he does, we need to make sure those muscles are strong. And not only those muscles, but the muscles around it. That’s really where he’s had the problem. It’s really not his groin that’s weak. It’s very strong. It’s the muscles on the opposite side of that, that need work because he overuses his groin so much.”

Mace interviewed both Varly and Saunders at Power Train in Lancaster on Friday. The entire interview and photos of the training session can be seen below. Gregg’s full feature will be aired on ABC27 News in Harrisburg on Monday night at 6 and 11 PM. Make sure to check it out.